onct. I's comin' home from de neighbors at night, in de moonlight, and
'rectly I seed something white by side de road. De closer I gits de
bigger it gits. I's scart but I walks up to it and it nothin' but de big
spiderweb on de bush. Den I says to myself, 'Dere ain't nothin' to dis
ghost business.'
"Massa have one son go to war and he taken a old cullud man with him. I
seed soldiers on hosses comin' and goin' de big road, and lots of dem
come to Port Caddo in boats. De pretties' sight I ever seed am a soldier
band all dress in de uniforms with brass buttons. When de soldiers come
back from de war dey throwed cannon balls 'long de road and us chillen
play with dem.
"When de war am over, massa call us all and say we's free, but can stay
on and work for de victuals and clothes. A bunch leaves and go to de
Progoe Marshal at Shreveport and ask him what to do. He tell dem to go
back and wait till dey find work some place. My mammy and me stays at de
Hood place 'bout three years. When I's twenty-one I marries and come
back to Harrison County. Mammy and me done farm in Louisiana up to dat.
My wife and me marries under de big oak tree front of de Leigh Church.
Us jus' common folks and doesn't have no infair or big to-do when us
marry.
"I's voted but our people won't pull together. I votes de 'publican
ticket de long time, but last time I pulls over and votes de Democrat
ticket. I 'cides I jus' as well go with de braves as stay with de scart.
"If de young gen'ration would study dey could make something out
deyselves, but dey wont do it. Dey am too wild. Jus' last week, I hears
de young cullud preacher at Karnack say, 'Brudders and sisters, style
and brightness am what we needs today.' I looks at him and says to
myself, 'Thank de Lawd I knows better'n dat.' When I's comin' up it am
dark, but I knows better things am ahead for us people and us trusts in
de Lawd and was hones' with our white folks and profits by what dey
tells us. Dey wasn't no niggers sent to jail when I's comin' up. It dis
'style and brightness' what gits de young niggers in trouble. Dey got de
dark way 'head of dem, less dey stops and studies and make somethin' out
deyselves."
420294
WILLIAM DAVIS was born near Kingston, Tennessee, on the first of
April, 1845. His family were the only slaves owned by Jonathan
Draper, Baptist minister. In 1869 William joined the army and was
stationed at Fort Stockton, Texas. He has lived in Houston since
1870. William is active and takes a long, daily walk.
"Well, suh, jes' sit down in de chair yonder and I'll tell you what I
can 'bout times back yonder. Let's see, now. I was born on de first day
of April in 1845. De reason I knows was 'cause Miss Lizzie, our missy,
told me so when we was sot free. Mammy done told me I was born den, on
de Tennessee river, near Kingston. I heared her say de turnpike what run
past Massa John's house dere goes over de mountain to Bristol, over in
Virginny. Mammy and pappy and all us chillen 'long to de Drapers, Massa
Jonathan what us call Massa John, and he wife, Miss Lizzie, and we is de
only cullud folks what dey owns.
"Massa John am de Baptist preacher, and while I'm sho' glad to see my
folks sot free, I'll tell de truth and say Massa John and Miss Lizzie
was mighty good to us. Dey have four chillen; Massa Milton, what am
oldes' and kill in de first battle; Massa Bob and Massa George and Massa
Canero. Oh, yes, dey have one gal, Missy Ann.
"Course us didn't have no last names like now. Mammy named Sophie and
pappy named Billy. Sometimes de owners give de slaves last names
'cordin' to what dey do, like pappy was meat cook and mammy cook pies
and cakes and bread, so dey might have Cook for de last name.
"We has a bigger family dan Massa John, 'cause dey eight of us chillen.
I ain't seen none of dem since I lef' Virginny in 1869, but I 'member
all de names. Dere was Jane and Lucy and Ellen and Bob and Solomon and
Albert and John, and I'm de younges' de whole lot.
"I heared Miss Lizzie tell some white folks dat my mammy and pappy give
to her by her pappy in Alabama when she get married. Dat de custom with
rich folks den, and mammy 'long to de Ames, what was Miss Lizzie's name
'fore she marry. I heared her say when de stars falls, I think she say
in 1832, she was 'bout eighteen, and dey think de world am endin'.
"Pappy was a Indian. I knows dat. He came from Congo, over in Africa,
and I heared him say a big storm druv de ship somewhere on de Ca'lina
coast. I 'member he mighty 'spectful to Massa and Missy, but he proud,
too, and walk straighter'n anybody I ever seen. He had scars on de right
side he head and cheek what he say am tribe marks, but what dey means I
don't know.
"'Bout de first I 'members real good am where we am in Virginny and
Massa John runs de Washington College, in Washington County. I 'member
all de pupils eats at massa's house and dat de first job I ever had.
'Scuse me for laughin', but I don't reckon I thunk of dat since de Lawd
know when. Dat my first job. Dey has a string fasten to de wall on one
side de room, with pea fowl tail feathers strung 'long it, and it runs
most de length de room, above de dinin' table, and round a pulley-like
piece in de ceilin' with one end de string hangin' down. When mealtime
come, I am put where de string hang down and I pulls it easy like, and
de feathers swishes back and forth sideways, and keeps de flies from
lightin' while folks am eatin'. 'Ceptin' dat, all I does is play round
with Massa George and Missy Ann.
"Dey ain't no whuppin' on our place and on Sunday us all go to church,
and Massa John do de preachin'. Dey rides in de buggy and us follow in
de wagon. De white folks sets in front de church and us in back.
"I can't tell you how long us stay at de college, 'zactly, but us moves
to Warm Springs to take de baths and drink de water, in Scott County.
Dat two, three years befo' de war, and Massa John run de hotel and
preach on Sunday. I think dere am three springs, one sulphur water and
one lime water and one a warm spring. I does a little bit of everything
round de hotel, helps folks off de stage when it druv up, wait on table
and sich. When I hears de horn blow--you know, de stage driver blow it
when dey top de hill 'bout two miles 'way, to let you know dey comin'--I
sho' hustle round and git ready to meet it, 'cause most times folks what
I totes de grips for gives me something. Dat de first money I ever seed.
Some de folks gives me de picayune--dat what us call a nickel, now, and
some gives me two shillin's, what same as two-bits now. A penny was big
den, jes' like a two-bit piece, now.
"But when war begin 'tween de Yankees and de South, it sho' change
everything up, 'cause folks quit comin' to de Springs and de soldiers
takes over de place. Massa Milton go to jine de South Army and gits
kill. Morgan and he men make de Springs headquarters most de war, till
de Yankees come marchin' through toward de last part. I know pappy say
dem Yankees gwine win, 'cause dey allus marchin' to de South, but none
de South soldiers marches to de North. He didn't say dat to de white
folks, but he sho' say it to us. When de Yankees come marchin' through,
de Morgan soldiers jes' hide out till dey gone. Dey never done no
fightin' round Warm Springs. Lots of times dey goes way for couple weeks
and den comes back and rests awhile.
"Den one mornin'--I 'members it jes' like it yestiddy, it de fourth of
July in 1865--Miss Lizzie say to me, 'Willie, I wants you to git you
papa and de rest de family and have dem come to de porch right away.' I
scurries round quick like and tells dem and she comes out of de house
and says, 'Now, de Yankees done sot you free and you can do what you
wants, but you gwineter see more carpet baggers and liars dan you ever
has seed, and you'll be worse off den you ever has been, if you has
anythin' to do with dem. Den she opens de book and tells us all when us
born and how old us am, so us have some record 'bout ourselves. She
tells me I'm jes' nineteen and one fourth years old when I'm sot free.
"She tell pappy Massa John want to see him in de house and when he comes
out he tells us Massa John done told him to take a couple wagons and de
family and go to de farm 'bout ten miles 'way on Possum Creek and work
it and stay long as he wants. Massa has us load up one wagon with
'visions. Pappy made de first crop with jes' hoes, 'cause us didn't have
no hosses or mules to plow with. Us raise jes' corn and some wheat, but
dey am fruit trees, peaches and apples and pears and cherries. Massa
John pay pappy $120 de year, 'sides us 'visions, and us stays dere till
pappy dies in 1868.
"Den I heared 'bout de railroad what dey buildin' at Knoxville and I
leaves de folks and gits me de job totin' water. Dey asks my name and I
says William Davis, 'cause I knows Mr. Jefferson Davis am President of
de South durin' de war, and I figgers it a good name. In 1869 I goes to
Nashville and 'lists in de army. I'm in de 24th Infantry, Company G, and
us sent to Fort Stockton to guard de line of Texas, but all us do am
build 'dobe houses. Col. Wade was de commander de fort and Cap'n
Johnson was captain of G. Co. Out dere I votes for de first time, for
Gen. Grant, when Greeley and him run for president. But I gits sick at
de Fort and am muster out in 1870 and comes to Houston.
"I gits me de deckhand job on de Dinah, de steamboat what haul freight
and passengers 'tween Galveston and Houston. Den I works on de Lizzie,
what am a bigger boat. Course, Houston jes' a little bit of place to
what it am now--dey wasn't no git buildin's like dey is now, and mud, I
tell you de streets was jes' like de swamp when it rain.
"Long 'bout 1875 I gits marry to Mary Jones, but she died in 1883 and I
gits marry 'gain in 1885 to Arabelle Wilson and has four girls and one
boy from her. She died 'bout ten years back. Course, us cullud folks
marry jes' like white folks do now, but I seen cullud folks marry 'fore
de war and massa marry dem dis way: dey goes in de parlor and each carry
de broom. Dey lays de brooms on de floor and de woman put her broom
front de man and he put he broom front de woman. Dey face one 'nother
and step 'cross de brooms at de same time to each other and takes hold
of hands and dat marry dem. Dat's de way dey done, sho', 'cause I seed
my own sister marry dat way.
"I has wished lots of times to go back and see my folks, but I never has
been back and never seed dem since I left, and I guess dey am all gone
'long 'fore now. I has jobbed at first one thing and 'nother and like
pappy tells me, I has trials and tribulations and I has good chillen
what ain't never got in no trouble and what all helps take care dere old
pappy so I guess I ain't got no complainin' 'bout things.
"I dreams sometimes 'bout de peach trees and de pear trees and de cherry
trees and I'd give lots to see de mountains 'gain, 'cause when de frost
come, 'bout now, de leaves on de trees put on pretty colors and de
persimmons and nuts is ready for pickin' and a little later on us kill
de hawgs and put by de meat for de winter.
"De Lawd forgive me for dis foolishness, 'cause I got a good home, and
has all I need, but I gits to thinkin' 'bout Virginny sometimes and my
folks what I ain't seed since I left, and it sho' make me want to see it
once more 'fore I die.
420281
ELI DAVISON was born in Dunbar, West Virginia, a slave of Will
Davison. Eli has a bill of sale that states he was born in 1844.
His master moved to Texas in 1858, and settled in Madison County.
Eli lives in Madisonville, with one of his sons.
"My first Old Marse was Will Davison. My father's name was Everett Lee
and mama was Susan, and he come to see her twict a month, 'cause he was
owned by 'nother master.
"Marse Davison had a good home in West Virginia, where I's born, in
Dunbar, but most of it 'longed to he wife and she was the boss of him.
He had a great many slaves, and one mornin' he got up and 'vided all he
had and told his wife she could have half the slaves. Then we loaded two
wagons and he turned to his oldest son and the next son and said, 'You's
gwine with me. Crawl on.' Then he said to he wife, 'Elsie, you can have
everything here, but I'm takin' Eli and Alex and these here two
chillen.' The other two gals and two boys he left, and pulled out for
Texas. It taken us mos' two years to git here, and Marse Will never sot
eyes on the rest of his family no more, long as he lived.
"Marse never married any more. He'd say, 'They ain't 'nother woman under
the sun I'd let wear my name.' He never said his wife's name no more,
but was allus talkin' of them chillun he done left behind.
"We gits here and starts to build a one room log house for Marse Will
and his two boys. My quarters was one them covered wagons, till he
trades me off. He cried like a baby, but he said, 'I hate to do this,
but its the only way I'll have anything to leave for my two boys.' Looks
like everything done go 'gainst him when he come to Texas, and he took
sick and died. The boys put him away nice and loaded up and went back
to Virginia, but the home was nailed up and farm lying out, and it took
them mos' a year to find they folks. The mother and one gal was dead, so
they come back and lived and died here in Texas.
"Marse Will was one more good man back in Virginia. He never got mad or
whipped a slave. He allus had plenty to eat, with 1,200 acres, but after
we come here all we had to eat was what we kilt in the woods and
cornbread. He planted seven acres in corn, but all he did was hunt deer
and squirrels. They was never a nigger what tried to run off in Texas,
'cause this was a good country, plenty to eat by huntin' and not so cold
like in Virginia.
"After I was traded off, my new master wasn't so good to me. He thunk
all the time the South would win that war and he treated us mean. His
name was Thomas Greer. He kept tellin' us a black nigger never would be
free. When it come, he said to us, 'Well, you black ----, you are just
as free as I am.' He turnt us loose with nothin' to eat and mos' no
clothes. He said if he got up nex' mornin' and found a nigger on his
place, he'd horsewhip him.
"I don't know what I'd done, but one my old Marse Will's chillun done
settle close by and they let me work for them, and built me a log house
and I farmed on halves. They stood good for all the groceries I buyed
that year. It took all I made that year to pay my debts and that's the
way its been ever since.
"I married Sarah Keys. We had a home weddin' and 'greed to live together
as man and wife. I jus' goes by her home one day and captures her like.
I puts her on my saddle behind me and tells her she's my wife then.
That's all they was to my weddin'. We had six chillun and they's all
farmin' round here. Sarah, she dies seventeen years ago and I jus' lives
round with my chillen, 'cause I's too old to do any work.
"All I ever done was to farm. That's all this here nigger knew what to
do. O, I's seed the time when I never had nothin' to eat and my big
bunch of chillun cryin' for bread. I could go to the woods then, but you
can't git wild game no more. In them days it was five or ten mile to
your nearest neighbor, but now they's so close you can stand in your
yard and talk to them.
"I never done no votin', 'cause them Klu Kluxers was allus at the votin'
places for a long time after the niggers was freed. The niggers has got
on since them old days. They has gone from nothin' to a fair educated
folks. We has been kind of slow, 'cause we was turnt loose without
nothin', and couldn't read and write.
"I's worked for fifteen and thirty cents a day, but Lawd, blessed to our
president, we gits a li'l pension now and that's kep' me from plumb
starvin' to death. Times is hard and folks had to do away with
everything when they had that Hoover for president, but they will be
straightened out by and by if they'll listen to the president now.
'Course, some wants to kill him, 'cause he helps the poor, but it do
look like we ought to have a li'l bread and salt bacon without upsettin'
'em, when they has so much.
420162
ELIGE DAVISON was born in Richmond, Virginia, a slave of George
Davison. Elige worked in the field for some time before he was
freed, but does not know his age. He lives with one of his
grandsons, in Madisonville, Texas.
"My birth was in Richmond. That's over in old Virginny, and George
Davison owned me and my pappy and mammy. I 'member one sister, named
Felina Tucker.
"Massa and Missus were very good white folks and was good to the black
folks. They had a great big rock house with pretty trees all round it,
but the plantation was small, not more'n a hunerd acres. Massa growed
tobaccy on 'bout 30 of them acres, and he had a big bunch of hawgs. He
waked us up 'bout four in the mornin' to milk the cows and feed them
hawgs.
"Our quarters was good, builded out of pine logs with a bed in one
corner, no floors and windows. Us wore old loyal clothes and our shirt,
it open all down the front. In winter massa gave us woolen clothes to
wear. Us didn't know what shoes was, though.
"Massa, he look after us slaves when us sick, 'cause us worth too much
money to let die jus' like you do a mule. He git doctor or nigger mammy.
She make tea out of weeds, better'n quinine. She put string round our
neck for chills and fever, with camphor on it. That sho' keep off
diseases.
"Us work all day till jus' 'fore dark. Sometimes us got whippin's. We
didn't mind so much. Boss, you know how stubborn a mule am, he have to
be whipped. That the way slaves is.
"When you gather a bunch of cattle to sell they calves, how the calves
and cows will bawl, that the way the slaves was then. They didn't know
nothin' 'bout they kinfolks. Mos' chillen didn't know who they pappy was
and some they mammy 'cause they taken 'way from the mammy when she wean
them, and sell or trade the chillen to someone else, so they wouldn't
git 'tached to they mammy or pappy.
"Massa larn us to read and us read the Bible. He larn us to write, too.
They a big church on he plantation and us go to church and larn to tell
the truth.
"I seed some few run away to the north and massa sometime cotch 'em and
put 'em in jail. Us couldn't go to nowhere without a pass. The
patterrollers would git us and they do plenty for nigger slave. I's went
to my quarters and be so tired I jus' fall in the door, on the ground,
and a patterroller come by and hit me several licks with a
cat-o-nine-tails, to see if I's tired 'nough to not run 'way. Sometimes
them patterrollers hit us jus' to hear us holler.
"When a slave die, he jus' 'nother dead nigger. Massa, he builded a
wooden box and put the nigger in and carry him to the hole in the
ground. Us march round the grave three times and that all.
"I been marry once 'fore freedom, with home weddin'. Massa, he bring
some more women to see me. He wouldn't let me have jus' one woman. I
have 'bout fifteen and I don't know how many chillen. Some over a
hunerd, I's sho'.
"I 'member plenty 'bout the war, 'cause the Yankees they march on to
Richmond. They kill everything what in the way. I heared them big guns
and I's scart. Everybody scart. I didn't see no fightin', 'cause I gits
out the way and keeps out till it all over.
But when they marches right on the town I's tendin' hosses for massa. He
have two hosses kilt right under him. Then the Yankees, they capture
that town. Massa, he send me to git the buggy and hoss and carry missus
to the mountain, but them Yankees they capture me and say they gwine
hang that nigger. But, glory be, massa he saves me 'fore they hangs me.
He send he wife and my wife to 'nother place then, 'cause they burn
massa's house and tear down all he fences.
"When the war over massa call me and tells me I's free as he was, 'cause
them Yankees win the war. He give me $5.00 and say he'll give me that
much a month iffen I stays with him, but I starts to Texas. I heared I
wouldn't have to work in Texas, 'cause everything growed on trees and
the Texans wore animal hides for clothes. I didn't git no land or mule
or cow. They warn't no plantations divided what I knowed 'bout. Mos'
niggers jus' got turn loose with a cuss, and not 'nough clothes to cover
they bodies.
"It 'bout a year 'fore I gits to Texas. I walks nearly all the way.
Sometimes I git a li'l ride with farmer. Sometimes I work for folks
'long the way and git fifty cents and start 'gain.
"I got to Texas and try to work for white folks and try to farm. I
couldn't make anything at any work. I made $5.00 a month for I don't
know how many year after the war. Iffen the woods wasn't full of wild
game us niggers all starve to death them days.
"I been marry three time. First wife Eve Shelton. She run off with
'nother man. Then I marries Fay Elly. Us sep'rate in a year. Then I
marry Parlee Breyle. No, I done forgot. 'Fore that I marries Sue
Wilford, and us have seven gals and six boys. They all in New York but
one. He stays here. Then I marries Parlee and us have two gals. Parlee
die three year ago.
"The gov'ment give me a pension and I gits li'l odd jobs round, to get
by. But times been hard and I ain't had much to eat the las' few years.
Not near so good as what old massa done give me. But I gits by somehow.
"I done the bes' I could, 'sidering I's turned out with nothin' when I's
growed and didn't know much, neither. The young folks, they knows more,
'cause they got the chance for schoolin'.
420278
JOHN DAY, 81, was born near Dayton, Tennessee, a slave of Major
John Day. John lives in McLennan Co., Texas.
"I was born near three mile from Dayton. That's over in Tennessee, and
it was the sixteenth of February, in 1856. Master's name was Major John
Day and my father's name was Alfred Day, and he was a first-class
blacksmith. Blacksmithin' was a real trade them days, and my father made
axes and hoes and plow shares and knives and even Jew's harps.
"Master was good to my father and when he done done de day's work he
could work and keep the money he made. He'd work till midnight,
sometimes, and at de end that war he had fifteen hundred dollars in
Confederate money. I never seen such a worker.
"Master John thunk lots of father but he took de notion to sell him one
time, 'cause why, he could git a lot of money for him. He sold him, but
my mama and even Old Missy, cried and took on so dat Master John went
after de men what bought him, to git him back. Dey already done crossed
de river, but master calls and dey brung my father back and he give dem
de money back. Dat de only time master sold one of us.
"He was a preacher and good to us, never beat none of us. He didn't have
no overseer, but saw to all de work heself. He had twenty-five slaves
and raised wheat and corn and oats and vegetables and fruit. He had four
hundred acres and a house with twelve rooms.
"A man what owned a farm jinin' ourn, de houses half a mile apart. He
had two slaves, Taylor and Jennie, and he whip dem every day, even if
dey hadn't done nothin'. He allus beatin' on dem, seemed like. One awful
cold day in February, Taylor done go to Denton for somethin', and when
he come back his master starts beatin' on him, and cursed him somethin'
awful. He kep' it up till my mama, her name was Mariah, gits a butcher
knife and runs out dere and say, 'Iffen you hits him 'nother lick, I'll
use this on you.' Old Missy was watchin' and backed her up. So he quit
beatin' on Taylor dat time. But one day dat white man's own son say to
him, 'Iffen you don't quit beatin' on dem niggers, I'll knock you in de
head.' Den he quit.
"Master was in de Confederate army. He gits to be a major and after he
done come out dat war he sho' hated anythin' what was blue color. I got
hold a old Yankee cap and coat and is wearin' dem and master yanks dem
off and burns dem.
"We heared dem guns in de Lookout Mountain battle. Dey sounded like
thunder, rumblin' low. One day de Feds done take Dayton and de soldiers
goes by our place to drive dem Feds out. Dere a valley 'bout two miles
wide 'twixt our place and Dayton and we could see de Confederate
soldiers till dey go up de hill on de other side. Long in evenin' de
Confederates come back through dat valley and they was travelin' with
dem Yankees right after dem. Dey come by our house and we was gittin'
out de way, all right. Old Missy took all us chillen, black and white,
and puts us under half a big hogshead, down in de stormhouse.
"De Yankees got to de place and 'gin ransack it. Old Missy done lock dat
stormhouse door and sot down on it and she wouldn't git up when dey done
tell her to. So dey takes her by de arms and lifts her off it. Dey
didn't hurt her any. Den dey brekks de lock and comes down in dere. I
didn't see whay dey hadn't found us kids, 'cause my heart beatin' like
de hammer. Dey turned dat hogshead over and all us kids skinned out dere
like de Devil after us. One de Yanks hollers, 'Look what we done hatch
out!'